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Topic: Joel's Army cult (Read 7057 times)

One thing I've noticed that's growing among Pentecostals is the Joel's Army cult. Basically, they believe Joel 2 refers to an end time Christian army that they say is currently on the rise and will take over the world in order to prepare for the return of Jesus. I find it disturbing that a few years ago I went to Thailand as a Protestant and found these people down there among the Thai Christians. They believe that one day they'll be invincible to all harm and will take over the entire world and make the Christians who don't agree with them bow to their will.

We know that their prophecies and interpretations of scripture are wrong. What I think might happen is that the leaders of the movement might call their "soldiers" to action and a lot of bloodshed would happen world wide. Their movement would be shut down and suppressed since they're not actual trained soldiers, but not before plenty of killings would happen. I also think if it happened it could cause a backlash of persecution against Christians worldwide.

After what happened to Todd Bentley before, I'm surprised he's back doing this. I used to listen to his podcasts, just because they were so... there isn't a word for it.

People thinking they're invincible all too much reminds me of David Koresh and Jim Jones. Uh-oh.

Todd Bentley isn't as prominent anymore but yes he is still working and active. A new guy named Michael Krysty is starting to become more popular and I wonder if he'll turn out the way that Todd Bentley did.

But there are a good many who would not in practice (whether from a high view of the Creed/Laurentian Canon or a conviction that things like the Trinity or Sola Fide are confirmed in a spiritual or conscience-based manner that trumps any apparently compelling exegetical reasoning. As Luther once asked, "Am I the only one in the world who is right?").

Protestants, on the whole, have the same Bible but teach a different "truth" about it in each "church". So you have one shepard doesn't agree with the other. So yes Protestants have abadoned Protestant doctrines.

Protestants, on the whole, have the same Bible but teach a different "truth" about it in each "church". So you have one shepard doesn't agree with the other. So yes Protestants have abadoned Protestant doctrines.

Yes, in theory one's one opinion of Scripture can overturn any doctrine no matter how central (Gary DeMar's ongoing flirtation with the hyperpretist heresy is a prime example of such radical "nuda scriptura" in action. But on the ground, there are many Protestants who have a far more nuanced view of sola scriptura than that.

Ugh. Todd Bentley... They say he draws crowds of tens of thousands I've NEVER heard anyone around here mention his name, or mentions of his events so I have to wonder - being in the next town over - how 'big' he really is.

I have so many great examples I can follow for spiritual guidance, encouragement, humility ,etc through the Saints, I would not waste my time trying to find something partially truthful this guy might say. If I have to be discerning he can teach me nothing, I must measure each thought he has as to whether it corresponds with my knowledge of truth, a sure recipe for disaster, sooner or later I will be deceived.

With the Desert Father's I do not have to be discerning, we are unified with them in One Body, so if I disagree I must change, If I am confused, I have my Preist there to guide me. Within the One Body I am fed the truth of His Love, outside of it I am one more sheep without a shepherd, and I am just begging to be taken by the wolves,{ and all too often those wolfish apetites that consume us, are our own. }

I have so many great examples I can follow for spiritual guidance, encouragement, humility ,etc through the Saints, I would not waste my time trying to find something partially truthful this guy might say. If I have to be discerning he can teach me nothing, I must measure each thought he has as to whether it corresponds with my knowledge of truth, a sure recipe for disaster, sooner or later I will be deceived.

With the Desert Father's I do not have to be discerning, we are unified with them in One Body, so if I disagree I must change, If I am confused, I have my Preist there to guide me. Within the One Body I am fed the truth of His Love, outside of it I am one more sheep without a shepherd, and I am just begging to be taken by the wolves,{ and all too often those wolfish apetites that consume us, are our own. }

I volunteered at a polling place years ago, and some of the Christian Nation folks made it out there as well. They were walking back and forth at the other end of the public office center parking lot, and they carried a flag half the size of a building. It's a white field, with a blue section in the top left corner, and a red cross in the middle of that. Looks somewhat like a Scottish flag, although I like the actual Scottish flag much better. They didn't do anything weird, but that was the hugest flag ever.

I volunteered at a polling place years ago, and some of the Christian Nation folks made it out there as well. They were walking back and forth at the other end of the public office center parking lot, and they carried a flag half the size of a building. It's a white field, with a blue section in the top left corner, and a red cross in the middle of that. Looks somewhat like a Scottish flag, although I like the actual Scottish flag much better. They didn't do anything weird, but that was the hugest flag ever.

That's the same flag as was touted as "the Christian flag" when I was growing up. US Pentecostals in general like it.

I volunteered at a polling place years ago, and some of the Christian Nation folks made it out there as well. They were walking back and forth at the other end of the public office center parking lot, and they carried a flag half the size of a building. It's a white field, with a blue section in the top left corner, and a red cross in the middle of that. Looks somewhat like a Scottish flag, although I like the actual Scottish flag much better. They didn't do anything weird, but that was the hugest flag ever.

That's the same flag as was touted as "the Christian flag" when I was growing up. US Pentecostals in general like it.

They have one in the conservative Congregational church I attended for 25 years, so it's a pretty main-stream thing (not just those wacky Pentecostals).Here's the Wikipedia article on the Christian Flag, complete with "A version of the Christian Flag, specialized for the Eastern Orthodox Church":

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I have always found the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom to be so much more moving in the original Ukrainian.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who can watch the watchmen?"No one is paying attention to your post reports"Why do posters that claim to have me blocked keep sending me pms and responding to my posts? That makes no sense.

The term planet earth is an innovation which has arisen in recent centuries with the error of heliocentrism.

If one wants to confess a pure doctrine of Orthodoxy, they should be careful not to refer to the earth as a planet, unlike the current Pope as well as Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew, who regularly speak in error when they refer to our planet earth.

I volunteered at a polling place years ago, and some of the Christian Nation folks made it out there as well. They were walking back and forth at the other end of the public office center parking lot, and they carried a flag half the size of a building. It's a white field, with a blue section in the top left corner, and a red cross in the middle of that. Looks somewhat like a Scottish flag, although I like the actual Scottish flag much better. They didn't do anything weird, but that was the hugest flag ever.

That's the same flag as was touted as "the Christian flag" when I was growing up. US Pentecostals in general like it.

They have one in the conservative Congregational church I attended for 25 years, so it's a pretty main-stream thing (not just those wacky Pentecostals).

The term planet earth is an innovation which has arisen in recent centuries with the error of heliocentrism.

If one wants to confess a pure doctrine of Orthodoxy, they should be careful not to refer to the earth as a planet, unlike the current Pope as well as Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew, who regularly speak in error when they refer to our planet earth.

The term planet earth is an innovation which has arisen in recent centuries with the error of heliocentrism.

If one wants to confess a pure doctrine of Orthodoxy, they should be careful not to refer to the earth as a planet, unlike the current Pope as well as Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Bartholomew, who regularly speak in error when they refer to our planet earth.

I remember an old episode of 700 Club that touted some woman's redesign of the Christian flag. It was a flying eagle against a white backdrop carrying a big wooden cross with bloodstains on the four points. I wish I could find an image of it.

Could you please explain the difference between extremism and strong faith?

Depends on what your strong faith is in, basically. Extremism is usually considered to be the point at which your views wind up impinging on the rights of others- either through your actions in the now or in some hoped for future, like a theocracy of one's own making as with Joel's Army. The easiest example would be personal martyrdom vs. flying planes into buildings.

Of course, there's some grey here. Is a Jehovah's Witness who chooses to die rather than accept a blood transfusion an extremist just because her faith is in something that most of us feel to be sadly unnecessary? Maybe, maybe not.

A Jehovah's Witness who let's her child die rather than authorize a blood transfusion for him is much more clearly an extremist.